ANIKAYA Dance Theater weaves together music, dance and storytelling to create works that pull from the full range of the body’s communicative capabilities. They incorporate traditional forms, internalizing them and then allowing them to reemerge as part of a new movement vocabulary. The result is work that is resonant of deep-rooted traditions, without being bound to any particular genre, place or practice. They have traveled wide and studied deeply to bring you these, the gifts of the body.

During their residency, ANIKAYA will develop Entangling, a collaboration between US-based choreographer Wendy Jehlen and Lacina Coulibaly, a contemporary choreographer and dancer from Burkina Faso, West Africa.

Inspired by the phenomenon of Quantum Entanglement, in which two atoms become linked to each other, Entangling explores how we are inextricably and consequentially connected to each other. Entangling investigates the interlacing of the internal, physical energy between two human beings. As they move together, each individual becomes invested in the other, and there develops a sense of deep interdependence. Entangling has been developed in New York City, Boston and Bamako, Mali.

Afrorhythm Movement Lab with Lacina CoulibalyInternational choreographer, Lacina Coulibaly will lead a workshop in conjunction with Resident Choreographer, ANIKAYA, at Boston Center for the Arts. This workshop is for experienced movers and will focus on the musicality, kinetic form, gestures and movements of traditional West African dance and its modern/contemporary manifestations.Don’t miss the chance to study with this artist while he’s in town!

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More about Lacina:Born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Lacina Coulibaly’s professional career is deeply rooted in traditional African dances, and later merged with contemporary influences to create a uniquely African choreographic expression. In 1995, Lacina created the Cie Kongo Bâ Teria with Souleymane Badolo and Ousseni Sako. Their creations, Frères sans stèles (1999), Vin Nem (2001) et Hydou Bye (2004) toured the world and won international awards, including the award of 3rd place at SANGA, les Rencontres Choréographiques for Vin Nem (2001) which toured more than 30 cities in Europe in 2002 and throughout the United States on the Movement (R)Evolution tour. Beyond his continuing work with his company Kongo Bâ Teria, he has danced and choreographed with other international dance companies, such as Salia ni Seydou, Faso Danse Theatre, and TchéTché, he has also collaborated artistically with individual artists, such as Emily Coates (USA), Catherine Young (Ireland), Amy Sullivan (USA), and Pipaluk Vibeke (Denmark).

Since 2007 he has conducted major residencies in American universities, including Yale, Brown, and the University of Florida: his unique blend of traditional and modern influences results in dynamic intellectual and artistic processes that intrigue and inspire young artists, and audiences. Lacina’s choreography often provokes questions of the (dis)integration of the traditional and the contemporary. His newest work, entitled Transcendence, is a solo that explores the place of faith in urban life. He and his company Kongo Bâ Teria were recently featured in the documentary film Movement (R)Evolution Africa (2007), available from Documentary Educational Resources (der.org).

Lacina works with Universities in USA (Brown University, Yale University, University of Florida, Cornell University, UCLA, Columbus University and so on) and dance school (ECA in New Haven) and EDIT (Burkina Faso) as Guest lecturer, Guest-teacher, artist-in-residence, and performer. He is currently Co-founder/director of the artistic company Siniyasigui association with Ousseni Sako.